Response of the LAZIO-SiRad detector to low energy electrons

Bencardino, R.; Altamura, F.; Bidoli, V.; Bongiorno, L.; Casolino, M.; De Pascale, M. P.; Ricci, M.; Picozza, P.; Aisa, D.; Alvino, A.; Ascani, S.; Azzarello, P.; Battiston, R.; Bizzaglia, S.; Bizzarri, M.; Blasko, S.; Di Masso, L.; Chiocci, G.; Cosson, D.; Esposito, G.; Lucidi, S.; Papi, A.; Postolache, V.; Rossi, S.; Scolieri, G.; Ionica, M.; Franceschi, A.; Dell'Agnello, S.; Falcone, C.; Tassa, S.; Kalmikov, A.; Popov, A. V.; Abramov, A.; Korotkov, M. C.; Galper, A. M.; Ivanova, A.; Conti, L.; Sgrigna, V.; Stagni, C.; Buzzi, A.; Zilpimiani, D.; Pontetti, A.; Valentini, L.

LAZIO-SiRad, the Low Altitude Zone Ionization Observatory experiment, launched on February 28th 2005, started its operations on board the International Space Station in April 2005. Lazio is a high performance cosmic ray detector able to measure and identify all particles traversing the apparatus separating nuclei from electrons/positrons in the energy range (10-100) MeV. It will record their time of arrival and their pitch angle under a 60 cm 2sr view. In order to reach a significant technological goal, the apparatus include a new type of scintillator-based detector, such added for the first time to the set of space devices. This paper will report and discuss the performances of the detector as resulting from a beam test with a low energy electron beam performed at the Frascati Beam Test Facility (BTF).